RI women's basketball teams look to jump onto the big stage
It almost happened in 2021-22.
The state nearly saw an end to its collective NCAA Tournament drought in women’s basketball. Bryant and the University of Rhode Island were on the cusp of booking two tickets to March Madness before ultimately coming up short.
The Bulldogs have enjoyed plenty of Division II success under Mary Burke, but this would have been their first time on the big stage at the top level. Upsetting their way to a Northeast Conference final wasn’t on the radar after stopping and starting their way through the regular season, but that’s the magic of such moments.
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Bryant University Bulldogs
Bryant ran out of gas against Mount St. Mary’s and won’t have a chance at revenge. A new home beckons in 2022-23, with the Bulldogs moving to the America East. They’ll certainly face some stiff challenges with the likes of Maine and Albany looming.
There isn’t much that would surprise Burke at this point — she's beyond the three-decade mark at the helm in Smithfield. Bryant found its peak at the right time eight months ago and could do the same again behind post scorer Mariona Planes Fortuny and wing shooter Nicole Gallagher. There is talent on hand to outperform a predicted finish away from the contenders in the new league.
University of Rhode Island Rams
The Rams have zipped onto the stage like a supernova since Tammi Reiss took over in Kingston. URI’s administration doesn’t want her leaving any time soon, either — her unprecedented 10-year contract extension fended off interest from the likes of Syracuse and alma mater Virginia. Rams president Marc Parlange and athletic director Thorr Bjorn were clearly intent on keeping this bolt of lightning in their bottle.
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URI fell a couple of victories shy of a regular season Atlantic 10 title before staggering in the league tournament. The Rams had emptied the tank attempting to surpass Dayton and were ultimately left exposed against Saint Joseph’s in a conference tournament quarterfinal upset. URI exited again in the WNIT with a 22-7 overall mark.
The finish sent Reiss back to the drawing board in terms of how she would fill some glaring graduation holes. She opted to raid some conference rivals for reinforcements — Tenin Magassa was the chief rim protector for the Flyers, Emma Squires was a sharpshooter at Richmond and Madison Hattix-Covington was a rugged competitor at VCU. Dolly Cairns gives the Rams some returning perimeter shooting and a veteran link to the more successful days of recent years.
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Providence College Friars
Providence will count heavily on a local connection and a sophomore class that should grow in importance over the course of the season. Janai Crooms feels like everything at times for the Friars — the Cranston native was their scoring, rebounding and assist leader in 2021-22. Her strong body and aggression off the dribble put opposing defenders on their heels in just about any situation.
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How much help Crooms receives will determine whether Providence can crack the Big East’s top half. Kylie Sheppard, Meghan Huerter, Nariah Scott, Audrey Koch, Olivia Olsen and Emily Archibald all averaged double-digit minutes in their 2021-22 debuts — those growing pains are bound to subside at some point. Whether or not it’s quickly enough to meaningfully help Crooms remains to be same.
Brown University Bears
Brown faces the majority of the same challenges, with one notable exception — the Bears carry a lead guard who is significantly younger than Crooms. Bella Mauricio started her career with a bang last season, topping Brown in scoring and 3-pointers made.
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There’s nothing wrong with offering the green light to a gifted player. You’d simply like to have more options in crunch time going forward — that's what the Bears will hope to uncover this season. Brown counts 12 roster members who haven’t reached their respective junior years of college, an equation involving playing time and role definition that coach Monique LeBlanc will hope to solve over the next five months.
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence, URI, Brown, Bryant women's basketball aim for bigger stage
